What do spices give us?
yes Spices, like everything else, they are made
of chemicals. Spices give us health, colour and fragrance and most of all they
keep life from getting monotonous. Spices hide in them our traditions and
culture.
let’s study about some spices which we
uses in our daily kitchen.
I can be powdered fine
To make food hot and spicy,
If too much of me is added
I make you gasp – shheee… shheee…
Your eyes and nose begin to water
And you cry!
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I- Red Chilly
Red Chili Powder is also known as lal mirch
powder. This is one of the most powerful hot spice which can easily affect the
ears, tongue and stomach. Indian food or Indian recipes are greatly influenced
with this chili powder. You can easily
get red chili powder in the grocery stores.
Chilli powder is the base for making any
flavored, hot and spicy food.
The Chilli powder is greatly used for
various types of veg and non-veg food
materials. It is highly incorporated in various salads and tomato based sauces. The ethnic dishes are mostly imparted
with the flavor and heat blend of the chilli powder.
To make your food look yellow,
I am mixed in oil by granny
And applied to wounds quickly,
I heal all wounds – big and small,
That is why I am loved by all!
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I?- Turmeric (Haldi)
Turmeric powder is a bright yellow spice
powder made from dried turmeric rhizomes. Turmeric or haldi is one
ingredient in your kitchen that holds a remedy for almost all illness you are
likely to encounter. A staple spice in almost all Indian households. t has been
used by Ayurveda and Unani practitioners in India from time immemorial.
Turmeric is an indispensable spice,
which imparts a musky flavour and yellow colour to curries. Almost all Indian
vegetable dishes use turmeric either separately or as part of the masala (spice
mixture). It is also used in recipes comprising rice, lentils and dry
beans. A small pinch of turmeric powder would is enough to add a pleasant
orange-yellow hue to salad dressings.
I am black when I am whole.
I can be powdered coarse or fine
A sharp and spicy taste is mine,
Whether it is salty or sweet
I am added as a special treat,
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I?- pepper-kalimirchi
Black pepper comes from the pepper
plant, a smooth woody vine that can grow up to 33 feet in hot and humid
tropical climates. They begin to bear small white clustered flowers after 3 to
4 years and develop into berries known as peppercorns. Ground peppercorns
produce the spice we call pepper.
Black pepper stimulates the taste buds
in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric
acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hence, adding a sprinkling of
freshly ground pepper to your foods not only adds to the flavor but improves
digestion as well.
It is also an excellent source of
manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of
dietary fibre.
Sometimes I am brown and
sometime black,
Added to hot oil and ghee
I spread my fragrance all around me,
When I am roasted.
Curd and jaljeera are favorite to me.
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I?- zeera
Cumin seeds are also known as jeera,
zeera, Seagram or cumin. Cumin are oblong shaped, pale or usually dark brown
seeds in color. Indian recipes are greatly flavored with these cumin seeds. Cumin
seeds is the form of aromatic spice with the bitter taste and very warm flavor.
Cumin seeds can be used as whole, crushed or grounded one.
Whole cumin seeds are mostly used for
tempering the various dals and jeera rice. Cumin seeds are widely used for
different preparations of gravies and curry recipes. The Salads and various
vegetarian recipes can be flavored with the tempering cumin seeds. They are
mostly used for making butter milk (chas), lassi, soups and stews. Whole cumin
seeds are great to use along with the whole garam masala for bringing the
natural flavor in veg and non-veg dishes. Cumin seeds are highly used as whole,
fried, toasted, roasted or powdered. You can make delicious jeera rice by
tempering few cumin seeds in the butter.
To make your stomach
healthy I always try,
Eat me always after your meal
I refresh your mouth, you
surely feel,
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I?- fennel seed
Fennel seed it has been traditionally
used as an aid to digestion and it has many health benefits. Fennel Seeds are very effective for digestive problems. In
India, these are routinely chewed upon after meals to aid in digestion after a
rich meal while acting as a herbal mouth freshener.
Fennel tea is a mild diuretic and can
help flush excess water and toxins out of the body.Drinking this herbal tea can
help ease a sore throat, reduce a fever and loosen phlegm from your respiratory
system.
Chocolate brown colour and a
strong smell have I.
When your toothache
makes you shout,
I soothe the pain in your mouth.
Think and tell me who am I?
Tell me quickly, who am I?- clove (laung)
cloves is derived from the Latin word
‘nail ‘means clavus. Cloves are normally 12-16 mm long just like nails with
a tapered stem. Cloves is a flower bud of huge tropical tree. It is pink
in color when is fresh and after dried it turns into rust brown color. Cloves
can be used as whole, crushed or powdered one.
Cloves can be roasted and then crushed
to make a fine powder with the help of grinder and can be highly used for
making various types of stews, soups and marinades. Cloves is a basic part of
whole garam masala, which is one of the most important reason to bring the
flavor and aroma in several rice recipes, pulaos and biryanis.
Let us see some of the Other Commonly Used
Spices in the Kitchen
Bay leaf (Tez Patta)
It is used in cooking to add a specific
flavour to food. It also has some medicinal properties. . Fresh or dried
bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The
leaves are not meant to be eaten, although it is safe to do so.
Cinnamon (Dalchini)
Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical
evergreen tree. Cinnamon is harvested as strips of bark rolled one inside
another color. It is used for mainly for seasoning food and
preparing masalas. It has medicinal uses too. This can be prepared by
roasting whole cinnamon and then crushing it into fine powder. And it supports
natural production of insulin and reduces blood cholesterol in human body.
The hard brown seed from the nutmeg tree
has a warm, spicy sweet flavor. It is used in powdered form for garnishing
and also for masala preparation. It is also used in soaps, perfumes & shampoos. It
can also be used for medicinal purpose. It is beneficial for the treatments of
asthma, heart disorder and bad breath.
Ginger is the underground rhizome of the
ginger plant with a firm, striated texture. The flesh of the ginger rhizome can
be yellow, white or red in color, depending upon the variety. It is covered
with a brownish skin that may either be thick or thin.
Helps to avoid digestive problems. It is
beneficial for coping with the cough and cold.
Garlic is a wonderful seasoning to add
aroma, taste, and added nutrition to your dishes. We often recommend using raw
chopped or pressed garlic in many of our dishes to take advantage of the
benefits gets from garlic. It is used for cooking as well as for the
medicinal purpose. It is useful for coping with cough and cold.
It also has antibiotic properties.
Saffron is a spice derived from the
flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus".
Saffron crocus grows to 20–30 cm and bears up to four flowers, each with three
vivid crimson stigmas, which are the distal end of a carpel.
It is used for cooking as well as
in beauty products. It is mainly used in sweet dishes. It has good medicinal
properties. It helps to cope with skin diseases. It is a good remedy for
cough, cold and asthma.
star anise is the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree. It is, as the name suggests, star shaped, radiating between five and ten pointed boat-shaped sections, about eight on average. It is used in cooking and for medicinal purpose Star anise oil is helpful
for digestion and avoiding bad breath
Elaichi or cardamom is one of the most
common spices seen in an Indian household. It is used in most of the Indian and
other sweet dishes to give a good flavour and smell. It is also used
widely in pharmaceutical sector. It Helps to control bad breath and
digestive disorder. A whole cardamom chewed is good for coping with diabetes.
Coriandum sativum or coriander, also
known as Chinese parsley, dhania, or cilantro, is grown extensively in southern
Europe, northern Africa, and Asia.
Coriander leaves as well as coriander
seeds are used in cooking. It also has some medicinal uses. It can be used
externally on aching joints and rheumatism. It is also good for coping with
soar throat, allergies, digestion problems, hay fever etc.
Its leaves are used in many dishes in
India and neighboring countries.
It is used as a main ingredient for
seasoning in some countries. It has many medicinal uses. These leaves are
beneficial for reducing blood sugar. Each part of the plant provides some
benefit or the other. The dried leaves are extensively used in herbal
medicines.
The Indian state known as the Spice
Garden is Kerala. Kerala is a small state full of hills and hillocks with
stunning green sceneries. There are many spices growing naturally in abundance
in the state.
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